Media accreditation opens for the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland – Information for the media

The third edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be held from 9 to 22 January 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. For the first time since St Moritz 1948, the Games will be coming back to the Swiss Alps.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games are an elite multi-sport international event for the world's best young athletes between the ages of 15 to 18. Lausanne 2020 will be the first gender-equal Winter YOG, bringing together 1,880 athletes - 940 male and 940 female - from over 70 nations, who will compete for medals in eight sports.

The Athlete365 education programme will be an integral part of the event, with a culture- and education-based agenda that will enrich the athletes' YOG experience beyond the field of play, and allow them to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully develop their careers in and beyond sport.

Lausanne 2020 will be the first binational Winter YOG, with events taking place in three cantons of Switzerland and a region in neighbouring France, making the most of regional expertise and maximising the use of existing venues.

Click here for more information about the Lausanne 2020 venues, sports and activities.

2) ACCREDITATION

We invite all media representatives wishing to cover the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 to submit their accreditation applications individually through the Media Registration Portal before 4 October 2019, 23:59 CET.

The registration is for rights-holding and non-rights-holding broadcasters, written and photographic press, online media, and writers and photographers working for publications and/or websites of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs). All registrations submitted through the Media Registration Portal will be subject to approval by the IOC Media Relations team.

NOC press attachés at Lausanne 2020 will be registered under the new accreditation category "NOC E". Only bona fide NOC press attachés can receive this credential. For more information regarding the "NOC E" quotas, entitlements and accreditation procedure, NOC clients should refer to the Chefs de Mission Dossier available on the Lausanne 2020 Extranet or the NOC Accreditation Policy on the IOC Games Preparation platform.

If your media organisation would like to register 10 or more staff, please contact Lausanne 2020 Media Operations at mediaops@lausanne2020.sport to request access to a group registration system.

Please note that no Youth Olympic Accreditation Cards (YOACs) will be issued or delivered prior to the YOG. Media representatives will collect and validate their cards individually upon arrival in Switzerland at the collection point selected during registration - the Lausanne Main Accreditation Centre or the St Moritz Accreditation Centre. A valid travel document containing a photo needs to be presented upon collection:

The Youth Olympic Accreditation Card will not function as a visa and will not authorise entry into Switzerland. Each media representative will be responsible for ensuring that he or she has the travel documents required for entry.

Lausanne 2020 will provide the accredited media with a visa invitation letter to support their visa application process, if required. This letter will be available for download from the Media Registration Portal once an accreditation request has been approved by the IOC Media Relations team.

Individuals applying for a Schengen visa at the official Swiss representation with the Lausanne 2020 visa invitation letter will be exempt from the visa fees. Individuals applying for a Schengen visa through an external service provider or private visa agencies will have to pay the service provider's fee. Should another Schengen state issue a visa on behalf of Switzerland, the visa fee may apply.

Please note that paid visas or service provider's fees, or any costs related to the renewal of or application for a biometric passport, will not be reimbursed by Lausanne 2020.

A number of rooms have been secured for the accredited media at pre-selected hotels in Lausanne and St Moritz. These rooms will be available for booking through the Lausanne 2020 accommodation platform, operated in partnership with Lausanne Tourisme.

Upon approval of your media accreditation, you will receive an email confirmation containing the link to the platform to make reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you need to make a group booking on behalf of your accredited media organisation, please contact Lausanne 2020 Media Operations at mediaops@lausanne2020.sport to request access to the accommodation platform, once your team's accreditation requests have been approved.

All media rooms will be available at preferential rates that will include breakfast, Wi-Fi and taxes (except for the city tax). Any additional services are excluded from the rates and must be covered at each guest's expense.

Rooms can be booked through the platform until 23:59 CET on 31 October 2019. After this date, all unreserved rooms will be released, and media will be responsible for securing their own accommodation.

The Lausanne 2020 transport plan is fully aligned with its commitment to deliver smart, sustainable YOG that have the protection of the environment at their core, and will be mainly delivered by the Swiss public transport system, known as one of the best and safest in the world.

Accredited media at Lausanne 2020 will be entitled to use public transport free of charge for transfers to and from YOG competition and non-competition venues by presenting their Youth Olympic Accreditation Card during the following periods:

• Lausanne area: from 5 to 24 January 2020
• St Moritz: from 7 to 22 January 2020

There will be no dedicated media transport network at the YOG.

The Lausanne 2020 Arrivals & Departures service will also operate by means of public transport and will be provided free of charge to the accredited media from 5 to 24 January 2020 for the following connections:

• Geneva International Airport to Lausanne main train station (by train);
• Lausanne main train station to the official media hotels in Lausanne (by metro/bus);
• St Moritz train station to the official media hotel in St Moritz (by bus).

Further information will be available in the Lausanne 2020 Media Guide in December 2019.

6) COMPETITION SCHEDULE

Click here to view the competition schedule of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games. Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

7) MEDIA FACILITIES

Lausanne 2020 will provide a comfortable working environment for the accredited media, delivering a range of facilities and services in line with the level established by previous Winter Youth Olympic Games. Traditionally, the YOG operate on a different scale to the Olympic Games, offering a more relaxed and interactive atmosphere for athletes and media.

Main Media Centre (MMC)
The Main Media Centre, comprising the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre, will be located in the Flon district at the heart of Lausanne - Rue du Port-Franc 22. It will be adjacent to the Medal Plaza and a short metro trip away from the Youth Olympic Village, the Main Accreditation Centre and the Malley venue hosting the short track speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey events, as well as the Opening Ceremony.

The Lausanne main train station is one metro stop away from the MMC and within 15 minutes' walking distance.

The MMC will be open to the accredited media from 6 to 23 January 2020. The opening hours will be confirmed in the Lausanne 2020 Media Guide.

As during the previous editions of the Winter YOG, the MMC will operate on the scale of a Venue Media Centre at the Olympic Games.

The Main Press Centre (MPC) will provide a comfortable and functional working space for the accredited media and will comprise a media workroom with free wireless and wired internet connection, power access, a media lounge with refreshments and snacks, lockers and a help desk.

There will be no press conference facility at the MPC. However, an area with a backdrop and lighting will be set up within the media workroom for informal one-on-one interviews or media huddles. No interpreting services will be provided.

The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) will occupy a separate floor within the MMC, accommodating Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) - the host broadcaster for Lausanne 2020 - Olympic Channel Services and rights-holding broadcasters. It will serve as the main hub for signal distribution to rights-holding broadcasters contracted to televise the YOG in their respective territories.

St Moritz Sub Media Centre
From 9 to 20 January 2020, a Sub Media Centre will be open for the accredited media at the official Lausanne 2020 media hotel in St Moritz - Hotel Laudinella via Tegiatscha 17.

The Sub Media Centre will operate on the scale of a venue media workroom. This room will offer work desks with power outlets and free wireless and wired internet connection, a help desk with on-demand printing of start lists and results, and a small lounge area with snacks and refreshments.

The operation hours of the Sub Media Centre will be confirmed in the Lausanne 2020 Media Guide.

Media facilities and services at venues
Across Lausanne 2020 competition and non-competition venues, the accredited media will receive support from the Media Operations team, have a range of dedicated facilities and services, and enjoy the same freedom that they normally do at the Youth Olympic Games.

The following facilities and services will be provided for the media at Lausanne 2020 competition venues:
• Venue media workrooms (except at the Lausanne Skating Arenaand St Moritz Speed Skating Oval), offering work desks with power outlets and internet access, a help desk staffed by media operations volunteers, on-demand printing of start lists and results, and a media lounge with free snacks and hot and cold beverages;
• Limited ENG camera positions for rights-holding broadcasters, available on a first-come, first served basis;
• Photo positions;
• Mixed zones;
• Media stands or reserved media seats (at indoor venues only).

There will be no media conferences held at the venues. Mixed zones will be the main place for interaction between the media and the young athletes.

Further information on media services and facilities will be available in the Lausanne 2020 Media Guide, which will be published electronically on the Lausanne 2020 website in December 2019.

8) OLYMPIC INFORMATION SERVICES

Olympic Information Services (OIS) is a professional sports reporting and information service designed to create the best possible coverage of the Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.

The OIS text coverage will include detailed sports reports on the competitions, feature stories on the young and emerging athletes, and articles focusing on cultural and educational initiatives at the YOG.

The reports by the OIS reporters will be published in the news section of the Lausanne 2020 website and will be available licence-free for republishing and distribution for editorial purposes by the media, NOCs, IFs, National Federations, clubs and schools.

OIS Photos is a professional sports photography service designed to capture the best moments of the Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 and share them with a global audience. The OIS Photo team consists of acclaimed multi-award-winning sports photographers.

All photos will be made available licence-free via www.oisphotos.com to media worldwide, as well as to the NOCs, IFs and, most importantly, the athletes, who will be able to download the images free of charge and repost them on their websites and social media platforms. OIS photos will also be published on OIS, IOC and Lausanne 2020 social media platforms.

The OIS Photos team will distribute daily "Best Of" sets of images to the international news agencies for further distribution to their media clients globally, as well as providing a push service for major newspapers. This has proved to be a highly successful service at previous YOG editions, providing significant international news coverage.

9) TELEVISION NEWS HIGHLIGHTS AND VIDEO NEWS RELEASES

The IOC will provide video news releases (VNRs) and television news highlights to broadcasters on a daily basis.

The VNRs will include the following content for all gold medallists at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 and some silver and bronze medallists (on demand):
• action footage;
• interviews;
• medal ceremony.

Each video will be available for free download in both broadcast and web quality. A shot list, including translations and a story script, will be available for each release.

The content will be available via the IOC Newsroom, and a link to each VNR will be pushed via email to IOC Newsroom subscribers.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.